Kimberley Barber

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A NIGHT out with work friends proved rather costly for a man who received a fine for punching a bouncer in the face.

Helder Da Costa Ferreira got into trouble at Emma’s nightclub in Gosport in the early hours of Saturday, December 20.

The 26-year-old appeared at Fareham Magistrates’ Court and pleaded guilty to assault by beating.

The court heard he had been out with work colleagues when one of them got into a disagreement inside the club and they were kicked out.

Once outside, the bouncers shut the gate and locked Da Costa Ferreira out but he ripped through a poster that was on the gate railings.

He then punched through the gate, hitting the bouncer identified in court only as Mr A Stanton in the face.

Prosecuting Giles Fletcher said: ‘The defendant was at Emma’s nightclub and he and his friends were asked to leave because of their bad behaviour. They were in drink.

‘The security at the nightclub say they told them to leave the area and the defendant was saying things like “I am a kickboxer”.

‘They tried to shut the gates to prevent any further incidents and the defendant punched through the gate with a hit that connected with the bouncer’s face and cut his lip.’

Mr Fletcher said that Da Costa Ferreira had rated himself to be ‘five out of 10’ on a scale of drunkenness when asked afterwards by police.

Representing himself, Da Costa Ferreira pleaded guilty to the charge of assault. When asked to speak by the chairman of the magistrates David Abrams, Da Costa Ferreira did not express any remorse for his actions.

He said he had been trying to get his friend to leave after an altercation inside and when asked why he had hit the bouncer, he mumbled ‘because I was aggravated’.

Da Costa Ferreira has two previous convictions – one for failing to surrender and a charge for actual bodily harm in August 2010.

Mr Abrams said that as the bouncer was at work, the offence was more serious. He said: ‘You were in drink and the gentleman you hit and caused his lip to be cut was just doing his job at the nightclub and that makes the offence more serious.’

Mr Abrams gave Da Costa Ferreira, of Mandarin Way, Gosport, a £300 fine and ordered him to pay £75 compensation to the bouncer.